


I can make it *ON HOLD*

by harrysthighs (Polo109)



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alpha Liam Payne, Alpha Louis, Alpha Zayn, Beta Niall Horan, Bottom Harry, Forbidden Love, Harry in Lingerie, Hurt Harry, Jealous Louis, M/M, Omega Harry, Pretty Harry Styles, Protective Louis, Rape/Non-con Elements, The X Factor Era, Top Louis Tomlinson, he'll pay don't worry, simon cowell is evil
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-13
Updated: 2019-04-10
Packaged: 2019-10-27 05:41:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17760860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Polo109/pseuds/harrysthighs
Summary: Harry Styles wants to prove to the whole world that being an omega won't stop him from living his dream.However, he soon finds himself being used as more of a sexual advertisement than anything else. Combine that with him being put in a band with the forbidden love of his life and his life is about to get a whole lot more complicated.X factor era, featuring omega!Harry and alpha!Louis





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Hi :) This is my first fanfiction, been reading them for years and thought I'd finally give it a go. Sorry this first chapter is so short, just wanted more of a kind of introductory chapter to start with before I get into the proper story. 
> 
> When omegas present in this story, they get small weak heats that only last a couple days which eventually turn into full on heats (Harry hasn't has a full-on one yet btw).  
> Also, just wanted to say- if I get anything wrong (including like grammar/spelling) please let me know as I haven't ever been great at English so would really appreciate it :) 
> 
> Thanks for reading, hope you enjoy!!

He didn’t know what to do, torn as he stared at the three little boxes that played a big part in how this could go. Openly admitting to being an omega whilst trying to be taken seriously was asking for an uphill battle, but if he was caught lying about his gender…

 

_He’d presented as an omega the summer after his 14_ _ th _ _birthday, so unbelievably thankful that he had the school holiday to get used to the idea and get to know his developing body. He’d yet to have a full-on heat but he was grateful for the time he had to play with what turns him on and learn everything he could about how to have safe sex whenever he met the right person. He had pretty much stayed on the incognito tab for weeks, internally freaking out if anyone asked to use his laptop._

_His first day back was strange, he had been expecting a bit of attention given that there was only one other male omega in the school so far, but that didn’t mean he was prepared for it. The obvious stares and_ _chuckles_ _as soon as he entered the building made him sweat nervously,_ _desperately_ _hoping that keeping his head down would make the crowds of people just go back to their previous conversations. Alphas in particular were the least subtle in their staring, looking him up and down as he practically ran through the hallways towards his first class of the day._

_Over the next few weeks, people started getting over the fact that he’d presented and moved on to other, more interesting gossip about what had happened over the summer. He realised how lucky it was that his school and town were so small, bullying of any form was quickly spotted and taken care of so he knew he was safe.  The few stories that he’d come across from omegas in bigger schools had made him physically sick, leaving him with nightmares so bad that he’d had to crawl into his_ _sister’s_ _bed. He made sure to avoid those types of stories ever since._

_Of course, that didn’t mean that he was treated completely the same. Just a few months ago, he was one of the most popular in the year; always asked for his opinion on something, always invited to every party and_ _most importantly,_ _always treated with respect. Most of his school year were still nice to him at least, still included him in group projects and talked to him at lunchtime. It was just small things that got to him, things that couldn’t really be counted as bullying but made the distinction between him and the others pretty clear. Being picked last for PE because others deemed him ‘too fragile’ and ‘weak’, little comments after he bought a burger and chips for lunch because ‘shouldn’t an omega be watching their figure?’ and finally, when an alpha thought it’d be funny to ask Harry if he’d ever used a knotted dildo in front of everyone. Harry had turned into a stuttering, blushing mess and even though he_ _’d_ _denied it straight away, apparently his reaction convinced the others that he was lying. He’d gone home that day and deleted the item off his amazon wishlist, far too embarrassed to even consider buying it._

So here he was, aged 16, a rucksack containing bottles of scent suppressant and beta spray in one hand and the X-factor audition form in the other. Unsure what’s the right choice, his mum assured him she’d stand by him no matter what he decided, but a tiny part of him wishes she’d just told him what to do. He let out a sigh, pushing the rucksack away and ticked the omega box before he could change his mind. A sense of relief immediately flowed through him, he knew he’d made the right choice. He had never been ashamed of what he was and he sure as hell wasn’t going to start now. Sure, at times he may have resented it, but he refuses to let other people’s opinions on who and what he should be dictate how he lives his life.

Anyway, things had started changing recently, last year an omega had even made it to the live shows! Harry wanted to help make a change, to show other omegas that they were just as good as alphas and betas, that they had nothing to be ashamed of. He was going to prove to them all that he could make it.

 

If only he knew what he’d have to go through to get there…


	2. Chapter two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who left kudos + comments/ even just clicked and read it!! I've been smiling all day because of it, really appreciate it. 
> 
> New chapter is up, sorry it's not anything more interesting- it's more of a filler chapter than anything but I felt like it was one that needed to be written. Don't worry though, Louis will be introduced in the next chapter!! 
> 
> Let me know if there's anything you want me to include/ if you'd like longer or shorter chapters/ if you don't like the direction the story is heading etc. 
> 
> I have lots of ideas and a rough plan of what I'm planning on doing but I love hearing others peoples opinions so honestly don't be scared about offending me! :) 
> 
> Hope you enjoy :) x

‘I can’t do this mum’, he whispered, backing away from the stage area. His mum quickly grabbed his hand before he could get too far away and pulled him in for a tight hug, stroking her hand through his curly locks in the way she knows soothes him best.

‘Darling, it’s normal to be nervous but please don’t let it stop you. They’d be crazy not to see how talented you are and if they don’t like your voice, who cares? You just need to take a deep breath and try to relax. Can you try and do that for me sweetie?’

 He hesitated slightly before nodding into her shoulder. She was right, he could do this, he had a few minutes to calm down then he’d go out there and show them all what he could do.

‘That’s my boy, we all love you and we’ll be right here waiting for you afterwards’.

She guided him back towards his sister, Gemma, and step-dad, Robin. He’d originally planned on having a much bigger group of people but decided last minute it would probably be best if he didn’t, there was a high chance this could go embarrassingly wrong after all.

The beta presenter, Dermot O'Leary, walked over soon after and started chatting with him and his family about their day so far. The talk helped settle Harry, who was slowly finding the nerves being replaced with what felt an awful lot like excitement. It helped that Dermot didn’t seem overly surprised at a male omega auditioning, seemingly taking it in his stride and talking to Harry like an actual human being. It'd been so long since a random stranger had treated him so normally that he'd almost forgotten what it felt like- to have a friendly conversation without someone either trying it on with him or treating him as less. He felt a smidgen of hope well up inside himself. Maybe the world really was getting more accepting.

 

It didn’t take him long to realise his earlier thought was so incredibly wrong. He tried not to notice the slightly shocked looks of the people in the audience as he stepped onto the stage. He tried in vain to convince himself that the judging stares were normal, that it happened to everyone.

He prayed that he was just hearing things.

Surely an audience wouldn’t be so mean as to whisper such nasty slurs at him for simply walking onto a stage.

The hushed words of _cockslut_ and _bitch_ echoed back and forth in his head, whirling around, making it difficult for him to breathe.

‘Quiet please', a harsh voice boomed across the room.

He met eyes with the one and only Simon Cowell, one of the most well know male alphas in the music industry. The man Harry needed to impress if he wanted to get anywhere.

So, he tuned the audience out, head held high as he walked towards the centre of the stage.

‘Hi, I’m Harry Styles’, he said, proud that his voice came across strong just like he’d practiced. He forced himself to make eye contact with all three alpha judges; Simon Cowell, Nicole Scherzinger and Louis Walsh. He knew this would raise a few eyebrows, the unspoken omega rule of ‘ _no eye contact with people of authority’_ was never one that Harry liked to abide by.

‘Okay Harry, can you tell me a bit about yourself?’ Simon Cowell said in his classic strong and blunt tone.

‘I’m 16 and umm I work in a bakery’, he said, not sure what else there was to say.

‘So, you’ve left school and gone to work there?’ Eyebrow raised, but Harry was quick to correct him, not wanting to be labelled as a school dropout. Though he saw no shame in it if that’s what made someone happy, after all it was extremely common for omegas to bond young and leave it to their alpha to take care of them- he just knew it would be more ammo for people to use against him in this case.   

He answered a couple more questions until it finally came time to sing. Swallowing down his nerves, he belted out the first line of isn’t she lovely by Stevie Wonder, not being able to help the small grin that appeared as he heard a few people shouting and clapping for him. He got through the song with no problem, having practiced it enough times that he could’ve probably sung it in his sleep. Letting out a breath as he finished, he looked around the room trying to gauge people’s reactions, which for the most part, seemed to be positive. Smiles could be seen throughout the audience, some people even nodding to each other in agreement that he was actually rather good. It was a far cry from the reaction he’d had when he first walked in.

His eyes slowly centred back on the three judges; Nicole and Louis were smiling like the audience, but a small furrow of the brow from the latter confirmed he was a little unsure. It was predictably Simon that pulled his attention. He wasn't smiling, calculating eyes not straying from Harry’s form, his head tilted slightly as if he was considering something. Harry felt a bit unnerved if he was honest, the man’s expression was so hard to read. Was he impressed?  

‘I’m really glad we had the opportunity to hear you acapella’, Nicole’s voice made Harry jump slightly. His turned his gaze towards her, all thoughts of what Simon was thinking left his brain as he brought his attention back to the room.

‘It really gave us a chance to hear how great your voice is. For 16 years old, you have a beautiful voice.’

The unexpected compliment made him smile so much that he had to bite down on his lower lip to try and reign it in a little.  He’d always liked Nicole from what he’d seen of her, she was one of those alphas that treated everyone equally and didn’t use being ‘superior’ to her advantage. She looked over at Louis Walsh, clearly a signal that she’d said all she wanted to.

‘Whilst I do agree with Nicole that you do indeed have a lovely voice, I think it’s rather obvious that you’re a bit too... delicate for this process, especially given how young you are...’ he trailed off, carefully said to avoid negative backlash but the implication was obvious to everyone in the room.

Too Omega for this process.

 Harry wanted to scoff and point out he was just as capable as anyone else, but he wasn’t about to start a scene, so he just nodded and turned to look at Simon for his feedback.

‘Someone in the audience just said rubbish and I completely agree with them’, Simon said, looking away from Harry for the first time to talk directly to Louis. ‘This show is designed to find someone new, no matter what _age,_ and I think with a bit of vocal coaching you could actually be very good.’ He directed the last bit back towards Harry, who was still a bit overwhelmed that Simon himself had stood up for him. THE Simon Cowell.

Harry was so confused, he’d always had it in his head that Simon Cowell was against Omegas having power from the way he had acted in the past, yet here he was, clearly defending one in front of a room of people. He felt guilty for being so quick to judge the man and tried his best to show gratitude through his eyes. Simon must’ve felt it, as he smirked at him and winked so quickly that Harry wasn’t sure if he’d imagined it or not. Shrugging it off, he watched as Simon then proceeded to nod at Louis to begin the voting.

‘For all the right reasons, I am going to say no’, Louis said, no shame in his voice whatsoever.

Harry had been expecting it given his comments earlier, but he’d be lying if he said it didn’t hurt a little. Though the crowd’s reaction to it was surprisingly lovely, a loud chorus of boos were thrown at Louis, who looked a bit dumbfounded.

Before Harry had much time to properly react, Simon quickly cut in, ‘I don’t actually think they booed you loud enough for that’.

Laughter and louder boos quickly filled the room, warming Harry’s heart that so many people seemed to be backing him. Caught up in the moment, he let out a small ‘boo’ of his own. He had only meant it in jest, but the cold look Louis gave him shut him up astonishingly quickly.

‘Well I like you Harry, I’m going to say yes,’ Nicole interrupted the bickering with a smile. She was honestly so lovely. He himself had always been more attracted to male alphas, but he can definitely understand why she’s so beloved by the public.

He shuffled nervously, awaiting the final decision, as he once again met Simon’s intimidating gaze.

‘I’m going to agree with Nicole. Congratulations, you’re through to the next round.’

Harry almost squealed, replaying the words over in his head. Surely this must be a dream? He’d done it. He’d actually gotten through.

Scared he would make a fool of himself by doing something stupid like crying, he thanked them all quickly and rushed off stage, tripping over his own feet in an effort to leap into his mother’s open arms.  Completely lost in the moment, all he could think of was how amazing it had felt to be on the stage surrounded by people, singing his heart out.  He didn’t want this feeling to go, wanted to bask in it for just a bit longer as he nuzzled into his mum’s neck, breathing in her comforting and familiar omega scent. 

 


	3. Chapter three- Bootcamp - Harrys POV

So far, so good. The first few days of bootcamp had been long and gruelling, but he’d gotten through them at least- making it to the final 100 contestants. He’d managed to spot a few omegas, all female, over the past few days but it was mostly an equal mix of alphas and betas. He wasn’t particularly bothered though, everyone he’d chatted to seemed friendly enough and far too concentrated on getting through to pay much attention to him.

Aiden Grimshaw, a beta male in his early 20’s, was someone Harry had quickly bonded with over their mutual love for soppy romance films. A lot of the spare time they had between practices was spent watching sad scenes from different films, one headphone in each of their ears.

 Aiden had also introduced him to another omega, Sophia Wardman, who was probably one of the funniest girls Harry had met. If either he or Aiden had a brief waver in confidence, she was quick to jump in and brighten the mood. The three of them had stuck to each other like glue since they’d met on the first day and Harry hoped, perhaps naively, that they would stay in touch no matter what happened.  

Whilst he was enjoying it so far and had even made a couple good friends, he still felt kind of isolated. It was his first time properly away from home, and with his assigned roommate having been one of the first to have been sent home, his temporary bedroom felt uncomfortably empty. He had always been one to like the comfort of having familiar things and people surrounding him, he’d googled it once- found out that it was a rare nesting behaviour some omegas had. So, not much he could do about his loneliness for now.

 Besides, by this time tomorrow, bootcamp will be over and he’ll probably be back at home.

**_ The next day  _ **

‘Ugh, I’m actually exhausted. That Brian Friedman sure knows how to bring you down, apparently I don’t connect enough with the audience,’ Aiden sulked, returning from his practice performance with the creative director.

‘Come here,’ he said, offering his sympathy as he moved to give Aiden a hug. ‘The boys are gonna be next to perform in front of the judges, Sophia’s in there watching the others now if you want to join? I said I’d wait for you to get back.’

 After a nod from Aiden, they both made their way towards the side seating area, spotting Sophia easily with her bright blonde hair up in a big bun. Not that she would've been hard to find anyway, currently waving her arms about like a lunatic at them.

‘Guys, everyone is so good! You should have heard this one guy, I think his name was Matt something? I swear even Simon looked like he was going to shed a tear,’ she whispered excitedly once they reached her. ‘How’d your performance training go Aid?’

The beta just shook his head at her, clearly not wanting to dwell on it. She gave him a comforting smile but got the hint and didn't press.

The three of them remained silent for a bit, watching the remaining few auditions for the over 25’s before the boy’s category was being called up on stage.

Sophia smiled and squeezed both their hands, ‘go show em how it’s done guys!’

Aiden and Harry were unfortunately separated into different smaller groups, Aiden’s group going on stage first. The other boy blew him a kiss, making Harry chuckle as he 'caught' the kiss and mouthed ‘good luck’ towards the beta, who disappeared from sight soon after.

Harry’s group was made up of 7 others; 4 alphas and 3 betas. He recognised most of them from the past few days, one of the alphas especially, Liam Payne, made Harry a bit nervous. The boy was the around the same age as him, but he had a really mature sounding voice- obviously from years of practice- and Harry just worried his own voice would sound weak in comparison.  

Their names were soon called, so the 8 of them proceeded to line up in the order they were going to sing in, Harry being second. The room was set out in a similar fashion to where he originally auditioned; the main difference being how much emptier it was now, only filled by the remaining contestants and the judges. Nicole Scherzinger was back today though, something he was grateful for as hopefully it’d help sway the decision to let him get through.

This was his last chance to sing before they finalised who would make it to the judge’s houses, he had to give it his best shot. Closing his eyes as he swayed with the music, tapping his feet to the beat, he felt his voice shake occasionally from nerves so tried to imagine himself back at home- just singing by himself in his bedroom. He thought he had started to bring it back towards the end, voice getting more confident as time went on, but when he opened his eyes back up at the end, he knew it wasn’t enough. The judges, other than Louis of course, were smiling but he could see the apprehensiveness in their eyes. Harry had to hold back a sob as his heart dropped down to the floor.

Staying on stage and listening to the others was one of the hardest things he’d ever done, wanting nothing more than to run home and pretend his dreams weren’t about to be crushed. He met eyes with Sophia in the audience, who hadn’t yet picked up on his dejected mood, she gave him a big thumbs up and mock fainted. His half smile in return clued her into the fact he wasn’t happy. The questioning gaze she gave him forced him to look away, not wanting to deal with any of this right now.

When they were finally allowed to leave the stage, Harry rushed straight to the bathroom, not ready to face his friends just yet. He grasped the counter, staring at his reflection in the mirror. Cheeks flushed, eyes red rimmed and watery from unshed tears, and lips red and puffy from biting them in an attempt to hold in his sobs. After confirming the fact that he did indeed look a mess, he wiped his eyes on the back of his sleeve as he stumbled over to the urinal.

Maybe he’s just being a drama queen and reading into the judges expressions too much. Sophia seemed to think he did well after all. Maybe what he had shown these past few days will be enough. Maybe—

‘Hi,’ a soft voice broke out, making Harry jump out and let out a little yelp. He stared in horror as a few drops of his pee launched across the air, seemingly in slow motion, and landed right on the stranger’s forearm.

‘Oops,’ was all he could say, still frozen to the spot, staring at the drops off pee.

‘Bit soon to be marking your territory, love? As cute as you are, I’m not that type of guy, at least take me out for dinner first,’ the stranger chuckled and winked, voice light and airy. The gentle tone broke Harry out of his trance, rushing to zip himself back up so he could turn around and apologise.

Only, the second he met the boy’s face, he froze again.

He was gorgeous. Bright blue eyes surrounded by thick eyelashes, little crinkles at the sides from where he was still smiling with thin lips. Glowing, golden skin that accentuated the boy’s high cheekbones. Harrys eyes travelled further down, not nearly discreetly enough, and was met with a strong, solid body. Well-built biceps contrasted a narrow waist that he could imagine his legs wrapped around. And -oh–Harry gulped—his **thighs**. He didn’t think he’d ever seen such great legs. Thick, muscular thighs that had Harry practically drooling. Add on top of that the boys intoxicating scent, a rich earthy smell, and Harry was ready to bend over and present right there and then. Get down on his hands and knees and–

Whoa.

What.

Harry had never felt an urge like that before, sure he’d had harmless crushes but not anything close to that. He’d only just met the boy and he was already wanting to _mate_ with him! 

A cough from the boy snapped Harry into action.

‘Oh my god I’m so sorry, I promise I didn’t mean to!’ Harry exclaimed, mortified once again when he remembered why he was facing the boy in the first place. ‘I’m honestly such a clutz, I’ll just leave--’

‘It’s really okay,’ the boy interrupted as he washed his arm, ‘I’ve had to take care of my fair share of siblings, a bit of pee really doesn’t bother me.’

 _Was he always this smiley?_ Harry found himself questioning, feeling like a crushing schoolgirl.

‘You’re Harry, right?’

Oh right.

Talking.

As in he needed to think of actual words.

‘That’s me, Harry styles, nice to meet you…?’ He trailed off in question, hoping he was coming across calm and collected.

‘Louis. Louis Tomlinson.’

_Louis. It suits him._

‘Nice name, not quite as strapping as Harry but it’ll do I suppose,’ Harry joked, happy the ice seemed to have been broken, walking over to join Louis in washing his hands at the sink.

‘Cheeky,’ Louis snorted, turning to face Harry fully. ‘Tell me curly, are you this lovely to everyone you meet or am I just special?’

Harry blushed, both at the nickname and the fact that he thought they might be flirting. _Weren’t they?_

‘Oh, you’re special alright,’ Harry giggled, biting into his lip. He knew it was a comeback that 5-year olds used but he couldn’t help himself.

‘Oi!’ Louis poked him in the ribs, sending a flash of heat through Harry at the contact. ‘You wound me curly.’

‘I’m so sorry Louis, what ever can I do to make you forgive me? I'll do anything!’ Harry said, still sniggering at his lame joke from earlier, but he noticed Louis had gone quiet. Harry finished drying his hands before turning back towards Louis, whose gaze had turned slightly heated. Harry went back through what he just said and – oh – he really needs to start thinking before he speaks. He felt his cheeks heat up again as he returned Louis’ intense stare.

Abruptly, Louis turned back to the mirror, breaking the tension that had built up between the two of them. ‘How about you promise to remember little old me when you make it big time?’ 

Harry's first reaction was that Louis was making fun of him, but his eyes conveyed nothing but kindness. Harry frowned, having temporarily forgotten how bad earlier had gone.

‘Me? Make it big? I wouldn’t be so sure about that.’

‘What? You have to be joking,’ Louis was staring at him, mouth open. ‘I heard you earlier love, there’s no denying you’re going to get through. Was that why you looked so sad when I came in?’

‘It’s… difficult... for some people to take people like me seriously.’ Harry looked at the ground, not wanting Louis' sympathy.

He was the one who chose to come here and dream for things that were so clearly out of his reach. He could only blame himself for the heartbreak he will have caused himself. After he leaves here, he’ll go home, find a suitable alpha, bond, breed and that would be that. That’s his future. All he had to look forward to. Anything else was just impossible.

‘Look at me for a second,’ Harry felt a hand gentle nudge his chin up. He found himself staring into Louis eyes, full of disbelief rather than the pity he had expected. ‘I’m probably going to embarrass myself _majorly_ , but I actually followed you in here. I heard you up on the stage earlier and couldn’t take my eyes off you. Your voice _,_ the way you lost yourself in the music, it was entrancing. So, feel free to say no if I’m coming across as a big creeper, but I was hoping I could get your first autograph? I just want to be able to say to people in 10 years, ‘hey, I met him before he made it big!’, because I know you’ll get there. You’ve got the X-factor curly, there’s no denying it.’

Harry gaped at him.

_What._

_Did Louis really think…?_

Harry leapt forward and hugged Louis tight. No one had believed in him like that before, not even his own mother. He tucked his face into Louis neck, not being able to help himself from taking a, hopefully unnoticeable, sniff of Louis’ scent. It didn’t take long for Louis’ arms to wrap around his waist and hold him tight in response.

Harry reluctantly let go when he felt Louis shifting and reaching for something in his back pocket. He pulled out a pen and piece of paper.

Of course.

'You didn't think I was joking, did you, Curly?'

Harry beamed at him, quickly scrawling out his signature with a little message, before folding the piece of paper over and handing it back to Louis. Their fingers grazed over each other slightly and Harry felt the heat rise up his face again, the soft smile Louis was giving him wasn't helping either.

He didn't want to go but he knew if he didn't get back to Aiden and Sophia soon then they would start freaking, so he stepped back to increase the distance between the two of them and allow his inner omega to calm down a bit.

‘I’ve got to get back to my friends but thank you so much Louis,’ he whispered, locking eyes with Louis for the last time before as he turned around and walked out of the bathroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiii, sorry it took so long to update, I've been crazy busy this past week. 
> 
> Did things seem too rushed between Harry and Louis this chapter? I wasn't sure whether to include emotional stuff in it or not but just ended up going with it in the end. 
> 
> I think the next chapter will be from Louis POV if that's sounds like a good idea to you guys.
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading- I hope you enjoyed!!  
> Feedback, negative or positive, is always appreciated :) x


	4. Chapter four- Bootcamp - Louis' POV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry I haven't posted until now- I've had a lot of personal things going on so haven't been able to write. I'm back now though so updates should be a lot more frequent :) Hope you enjoy!

A sweet smell of vanilla wafted through the room and caught his attention immediately. His wolf had always been very sensitive to different scents, usually in a bad way. Though it did have its uses in hide and seek. Some may consider it cheating, but Louis figured, what his younger siblings didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them.

It’s also why he was so shocked, unfamiliar people’s scents almost always made him feel on edge at the very least. He’d always found that, unless they were part of what his wolf deemed ‘pack’, most had a bitterness that put him off. A certain aftertaste that made him feel slightly sick.  

But… _this_ smell…it was intoxicating.

It drew him in, his eyes rapidly scanning the room in an attempt to pin down the owner. He could tell it was coming from one of the boys on stage but, by being so far back, he could hardly see their faces, let alone differentiate between their scents.

He wondered how he hadn’t noticed this scent earlier, he must’ve been more nervous than he thought if he’d managed to repress this smell. His wolf hadn’t stopped whining and howling at him since he caught the first whiff, it was clawing at him, begging him to get closer.

He waited until the first singer had finished before deciding that creeping down a few rows wouldn’t hurt anybody- he would end up a lot closer to the judges than what was strictly allowed, but probably not close enough to get him kicked out by security. Hopefully.

Just as he’d started to make his way down, the second boy began to sing and, wow, did he have a voice. He could make out the rough outline of the small boy currently singing, dressed in baggy clothes with a little hat perched on top of a head of curly hair. The voice was light and sweet yet strong at the same time, he inwardly sighed- guess that’s another spot for judge’s houses filled already. Louis own attempt had been okay, better than his original audition but still a bit shaky. He wasn’t too disappointed though, he was surprised to even make it this far if he was being honest with himself. Oh well, at least he would get a good story out of it.

He really liked this boys voice though, he was going to be huge for sure- maybe he should get his autograph whilst he still could, he made note to himself.

Anyway, he had a mission, he reminded himself as he carried on downwards, trying to be even quieter than before as to not interrupt the boy’s singing.

The scent was getting gradually stronger, someone on the left of the stage perhaps?

The fourth guy with blonde hair and tattoos maybe?

 Louis sniffed in his direction- no-ugh, definitely not. A few more steps closer, his nose raised high and- oh – it’s _him_.

The boy with the lovely voice.

Louis could just about make out his face from here and all he could think was how typical it was that such a voice belonged to someone who was equally as beautiful to look at. Big, bright doe eyes and a wide mouth were what he first noticed, lips so full and red that even snow white would be jealous. The combination of such innocent looking eyes and such an obscene mouth led to thoughts that Louis really shouldn’t be having about a complete stranger. The head of curls he’d spotted earlier surrounded an adorable heart shaped face, almost cherubic like in appearance. Pale skin that looked soft and smooth to touch.

 Louis searched what he could see of his neck for any sign of a bond mark- sighing in relief when he found none.

_Mine._

His wolf growled, surprising Louis once more.

Sure, the boy smelt, sang and looked like someone out of Louis’ dreams but he could be horrible for all he knew. He could be some stuck-up snob that hated children. Louis had always dreamed of a massive family, he knew he’d be heartbroken if his mate didn’t want pups.

But… his wolf had always led him in the right direction before…he supposed there wouldn’t be much harm in trying to at least _talk_ to him…

The boy was still singing, voice steadier and more confident now that some time had passed. Louis felt himself soften at the way the boy was swaying about gently, clearly stuck in his own little world. He was cute.

Louis had never felt sadder about someone finishing a song.

‘Thank you, Harry,’ Simon said before quickly nodding at the next contestant to start.

_Harry_

His wolf purred, quickly obsessing over the new piece of information. Louis himself was caught up on the way Harry had hunched over slightly, delicate ringlets falling over and covering most of his face.

Was he sad?

Why would he be sad?

If Louis hadn’t already planned to get the boys autograph, he sure as hell couldn’t stop himself from finding him now. He had to make sure he was okay.

 

* * *

 

 

Okay, so Louis had never felt like more of a creeper. He felt his resolve to find the boy weakening, he had no plan of what he would say or do. God, Harry was going to think he was a right weirdo, he could see it now.

The, quickly becoming familiar, vanilla scent suddenly got a lot stronger and Louis almost got whiplash from how quickly his head snapped towards the area leading off stage. A flash of curls had Louis involuntarily stepping forwards, readying himself to introduce himself, repeating to himself what he would say.

_Hi, I’m Louis, I just wanted to say you have a lovely voice. Could you sign this for me please?_

He shook his head at how stupid that sounded.

He wanted to be suave. Dashing. Someone Harry would take notice of.

So focused on practicing what he would say, he almost missed the way the boy parted from the others before darting into the bathroom.

Okay, this was good. If he embarrassed himself, at least the only witness would be Harry.

It would probably be creepy to follow him in there though.

But…bombarding him as soon as he left the bathroom probably wouldn’t be much better…

Fuck it.

He’s going in.

 

* * *

 

Well, Louis was officially screwed.

Harry wasn’t the arrogant douche he half hoped he would be.

Not at all.

Instead he was sweet and funny and a thousand other adjectives that just didn’t do the boy justice. What really scared Louis was how much he _wanted_ the boy, not just in a sexual way either- though his stomach clenched as the words ‘I’ll do anything’ popped back into his head- but in a _let me hold you and cuddle you whilst I stroke your hair_ kind of way.

This was really not good, he thought to himself, as his fingers traced over the little message the boy had left.

‘Louis

I could never forget you.

Thank you again.

\- Harry xx ‘

 

* * *

 

‘Fuck yes, I love Omegas man,’ an alpha from the row in front of Louis whispered to his friend, ‘definitely gonna fuck her before I leave, bet she just spreads her legs easily enough.’

 Louis tried to refrain from rolling his eyes at the idiot in front of him, who had spent the whole time he’d been sat there making rude comments and gestures about any omega that came on stage. It was crude and if Louis were anywhere else, he would’ve told him to shut his fucking mouth by now. He couldn’t even move seats since he had stupidly sat in the middle of the row.

The girl on stage they were so crassly mouthing off about, Chloe, was dressed rather promiscuously- a short skirt and crop top that left little to the imagination. And, yes, Louis wasn’t oblivious to her but to say things like _that_? Talk about her as if she was an object? That was where he drew the line.

He almost regretted coming back to watch the rest of the auditionees. He ignored the part telling him that he would’ve left by now if it weren’t for a certain boy sat exactly five rows down from him to the right, next to a beta male. An attractive beta. Not that Louis cared or anything, he was just simply taking note.

‘She’d definitely be up for it,’ more chuckles from the morons in front of him and Louis was about ready to go sit on the steps rather than listen to them anymore. ‘Though I’m personally going after that boy omega, you seen him yet? Fucking sinful, got them pouty lips and this whole innocent vibe going on. Probably a virgin. I’m telling you, ten minutes with me and that boy would be on his knees. Begging. For. It.’

Louis felt his eyes flash red, teeth lengthening and claws coming out as he officially snapped.

‘Hey, Tweedledee and Tweedledum!’ He hissed at them, ‘no one here gives a fuck about your delusions. So why don’t you two piss right off and go fuck each other instead, that’s about all the action you’re going to get here.’

‘What did you just say to us?’ One of the guys said as they both turned around to glare at Louis.

‘I’m with him, mate. Some of us are trying to listen, you know? Give us all a rest and just shut up,’ an alpha sat a few seats away from Louis joined in.

The twats in front grumbled as they turned back to the stage, clearly angry at being put in their place. Louis met eyes with the boy who had helped him. He was very good looking- razor sharp cheekbones, dark hair and eyes, caramel skin. Louis nodded at him and smiled, mouthing ‘thanks’ as he sat back to continue watching…the stage. Definitely just the stage.

If his eyes happened to flicker down to the boy who was currently smiling wide, crater sized dimples on show, and eyes glistening at a blonde girl that had just come on stage- well, no one had to know.


End file.
